Furnace air humidifier



Sept. 10, 1968 B. J. SCHALL FURNACE AIR HUMIDIFIER Filed Sept. 20, 1966 3 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR Bernard J. Saba/l ATTORNEY P 0, 1968 B. J. SCHALL. 3,400,919

FURNACE AIR HUMIDIFIER Filed Sept. 2c, 1966 5 Sheets-5mm 9 I NV EN TOR Bernard J. Saba/l ATTORNEY 8. J. SCHALL.

Sept... 10, 1968 FURNACE AIR HUMIDIFIER 3 Sheets-Sheet Filed Sept. 20, 1966 INVENTOR Bernard J. Small ATTORNEY United States Patent 3,400,919 FURNACE AIR HUMIDIFIER Bernard J. Schall, 2624 S. Thomas Court,

McHenry, Ill. 60050 Filed Sept. 20, 1966, Ser. No. 580,793 11 Claims. (Cl. 261-102) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A' furriace air humidifier and comprising a bendable metall skeleton on which is a wick or vapor pad which has been secured in a suitable manner. It is used in combination with a water pan in which it stands so as to draw water up and expose the water to a current of air that will pass across or through the top and sides of the pan, the pan being placed in an air furnace duct, air chamber orplenum. H

This invention relates to a furnace air humidifier and has for an object to provide an improved humidifier for use in cooperation with the plenum, air chamber or .air duct of a hot air furnace, so as to properly humidify the heated air going from the furnace to rooms being heated.

It is an object of this invention to provide an improved water pan or container for a humidifier, and particularly, to provide an improved conformable, bendable wick or vapor pad for exposing water in the container to the current of air passing to the heater ducts.

A further object of this invention is to provide an improved vapor pad or wick for drawing up water from the humidifier container and exposing it to the current of heating air passing through or over the container.

A further object of this invention is to provide an improved vapor pad and water container for a humidifier for furnace air which can readily be secured to the wall of an air duct, air chamber or plenum of a furnace, wherein the vapor pad may be made in one of several shapes, and wherein means may be provided for automatically replenishing the water, as it is evaporated, to maintain a constant water level in the container.

A further object of this invention is to provide a humidifier water container that may be readily fabricated.

A further object of this invention is to provide a humidifier wherein a vapor pad rests on the bottom of a water container and extends above the water level maintained therein, the container having side and end openings through which the air currents pass, and wherein such openings have wings or air i'nterceptors which control the amount of air that may pass through the openings and thus determine the humidity of the air passed therethrough, and where such wings or air interceptors may be adjustable to adjust the amount of humidity taken up by the air currents.

In brief, the humidifier of this invention includes a water pan or container having a bottom portion for containing water, preferably with a float controlled valve for replenishing the water to maintain a constant water level therein, in combination with an improved vapor pad consisting of a water absorbing and evaporating fabric such as felt, flannel or cloth secured on a skeleton of wire mesh so that it may be bent or conformed to a desired shape and rest in the water and lift water therefrom by capillary action to expose it to the air currents in the furnace chamber, plenum or furnace air duct so that the air passing thereby will absorb a desired amount of moisture as it is heated and travels to the hot air registers to be discharged into the rooms it is to heat. The container itself may be made in the form of a sheet metal pan, or two sheet metal pans whose edges are secured together as by sheet metal screws, the lower pan serving as the water container, and the upper, reversed or inverted pan having openings in its opposite side, top, and possibly end walls through which openings the air travels to be exposed to the moisture, and a flanged frame extending from one endwall for facilitating attachment to the wall of a furnace chamber, plenum or air duct. If desired, the bottom pan alone may be used with the pad. The vapor pad is made of a readily conformable or bendable wire mesh skeleton or other similar material, such as hardware cloth, expanded or perforated metal or plastic materials on which is secured a moisture absorbing and evaporating fabric material, felt, or possibly other cloth material which will act as a wick. The skeleton and. fabric are bent or shaped to provide a maximum of,evaporating surface to the airourrents which travel over or through the openings in the container to absorb the moisture from the vapor pad. A preferred shapeis for the vapor pads to be formed in a zigzag shape, the bottom leg of the zigzag shaped pad resting on the bottom of the container or pan in the Water and the remaining portions extending thereabove and genena'lrly above the water level. However, the pad is also usable in other shapes such as, in a number of L-shaped pads, with the short L leg resting on the container bottom and the long L leg extending above the water level into the air currents. It also may be alternatively made in a U shape with one U leg on the container bottom and the other U leg in the air currents, possibly conforming to the inside shape of the container. In yet another form, a number of L-shaped pads rest their short L leg on the container bottom and their long legs extend up above the water level past the side openings below the edge of a top opening therein.

With the above and related objects in view, this invention consists in details of construction and combination of parts, as will be more fully understood from the following description, when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawing, in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view, partly broken away, showing the general combination of this invention, with hinged deflector wings.

FIG. 2 is a fragmentary perspective view of the vapor pad.

FIG. 3 is a sectional view on line 3-3 of FIG. 1.

FIG. 4 is a sectional view on line 4-4 of FIG. 3.

FIG. 5 is a view of the type of water container similar to that in FIG. 1, but with struck out deflector wings.

FIG. 6 is a cross sectional view of a modified form of container and vapor pad.

FIG. 7 is a cross sectional view of still another modified form.

FIG. 8 is a cross sectional view of yet another modified form.

The same reference number is used in the different forms when the same detail appears in the different forms.

There is shown at 10 one form of the humidifier of this invention. In this form, the humidifier 10', as in each other form, includes, basically, a pan 12, for containing water and bendable, conformable vapor pad means 14 resting on the inside bottom of the pan 1'2 and exposing the major upper position of the vapor pad means 14 to air currents passing thereover and therethrough, being particularly intended for use in a furnace air chamber or plenum, or in a furnace air duct, through which heated air currents pass and thus pick up vapor therefrom. In addition, a water replenishing and water level maintaining valve and float means 16 is provided so that the humidifier may operate automatically and indefinitely without human attention.

This means 16 is of conventional construction, including a float 18 controlling a valve 20 from a water inlet pipe 22. While the pan 12 may be used alone for containing the water 24, as shown in FIG. 8, it is preferable to provide an inverted upper pan 26 having its edges resting on or secured to the edges of the water containing pan 12, and the inverted pan is provided with openings in its top, sides, and also one or both ends so that air currents may pass over and about the vapor pad means 14 in any direction, substantially the same as over the open pan 12 alone.

In the most elaborate form shown in FIGS. 1, 3 and 4, an S joint member 28 supports the inverted pan 26 on the water pan 12, and is secured thereto by studs 30. Air deflector wings 32 are hingedly secured at 34 on the inverted pan 26 adjacent the edges of suitably located openings 36 in the sides, and top of the pan 26, and set screws 3-8 are used to maintain such wings 32 at desired adjusted angles. End openings 40 are also provided, and a frame flange 42 is provided at one end for mounting the humidifier on the inside of a furnace plenum, chamber or air duct wall 44 by metal screws 46.

The opening 40 at the mounting end may be mounted to coincide with an inspection opening and door plate 48 in the duct or furnace wall 44, and a closure plate 50 may be provided for securement by metal screws 52 over the other end opening 40 if desired.

The vapor means 14 consists basically of a bendable conformable skeleton 54 surrounded preferably on both sides, by wick material 56. The skeleton may be of metal screen or hardware cloth (which is actually a large metal screen), material, which is readily bendable to conform to a desired shape. The wick material may be felt matter about the skeleton 54, or may be cloth or other material capable of conducting moisture therethrough by capillary action, which is either secured to or woven through the skeleton 54. The essence of the vapor means 14 is that it may be conformable to a desired shape which it will maintain, and must, when partly inserted in water, become substantially wet, absorbing the water to above the water level for evaporating it to air currents passing thereover.

In FIGS. 1, 3, 4, and 5, the vapor pad means 14 is made in a sheet form which is then bent into a zigzag shape 57 of a size to have one end zigzag surface rest on the inside of the bottom of the water pan 12 and support the major portion thereover above the level of the water 24 maintained in the pan by the water maintaining means 16. When the inverted pan 26 is mounted on the pan 12, it must fit within the container provided thereby, and in such spaced relation to the insides of the inverted pan 26 that air currents may pass thereabout and thereover to pick up moisture from the vapor pad means 14 and pass through the opening 36, as well as 40 if left open, and thus enter the furnace air ducts for humidifying the air therein.

In FIGS. 5, 6, 7 and 8, the inverted pan 58 is removably mounted on water pan 12 by having a shoulder flange 60 extend from its edges over the upper edges of the water pan 12, and the shoulder 62 provides the supporting means. Here, the side and top openings. 36 are provided by struck out air deflector Wings 64 which may readily be bent to the desired angle.

In FIG. 6 and FIG. 8, vapor means 14 is in the form of two U-shaped pads 66 lying on one of their side U legs '68 in spaced apart relationship in the water 24 on the pan bottom, with the U bight 70 extending above the edge of the pan 12 or partly across the opening 36 in the inverted pan side. In FIG. 6, the other U leg 72 is spaced below the top opening 36 so that air can circulate thereabout, and in FIG. 8, the other leg 74 is curved from its bight 70 instead of being at right angles thereto. As shown in FIG. 8, the pan 12 may be used alone without the inverted pan 58, and this is obviously true of each of the other forms; the inverted pan may be omitted, if desired.

In FIG. 7, the vapor pad means 14 is in the form of a plurality of L-shaped individual pads, with a short L leg 76 resting on the pan inside bottom within the water 24, and the long L leg'78 having its major portion extending above the level of the water 24 and exposed to air currents through the openings 36 and 40. The L pads may also be provided with L-shaped braces 80 having a short L leg 82 extending over the short L legs 78 of the adjacent L vapor pad.

In operation, in any form, the humidifier 10 is inserted in the furnace chamber or plenum or in a furnace air duct, and may rest on a floor thereof, or be attached by the flange 42 to a wall thereof, the water replenishing and maintaining means 16 being connected to a suitable source of water. When the upper inverted pan 26 or 58 is used, the wings 32 or 64 are suitably adjusted to a desired angle, and the furnace heated air is thereafter automatically humidified to the set humidity percentage determined by the angle to the wings, if present. The humidity may be changed, if desired, by changing the angle of the deflector wings 32 or 64, as desired.

In the drawings, lipe numbers refer to like parts and for the purposes of explication, marshalled below are the numbered parts of the improved furnace air humidifier:

12water pan l4-vapor p'ad means 16Water replenishing and level maintaining valve and float means 18float 20valve 22-inlet pipe 24water 26-inverted upper pan 28-S joint means 30-pan and S joint securing screws 32-hinged air deflectors 34hinges 36top and side openings 38set screws for 34 40end openings 42furnace or duct wall securing flange 44-furnace or duct wall 46Wall securing screws 48inspection opening in furnace or duct wall 50closure plate on 48 52-metal screws for 50 54skeleton of 14 56 wick of 14 57zigzag-shaped pad 58inverted pan of FIGS. 5-8 60-shoulder flange of 58 62shoulder of 60 64-struck wings 66-U-shaped pads 68-supporting side leg of 66 70-U bight of 66 72-other leg of 66 74curved leg of 66 in FIG. 8 76short L leg of L pads 78long L leg of L pads 80L-shaped braces of L pads 82-bracing short L leg of 80 Although this invention has been described in considerable detail, such description is intended as being illustrative rather than limiting, since the invention may be variously embodied, and the scope of the invention is to be determined as claimed.

Having thus set forth and disclosed the nature of this invention, what is claimed is:

I. A furnace air humidifier comprising a water pan, open at its top, adapted to contain water therein, and a bendable, conformable vapor pad means resting on the inside bottom of said pan and extending above the level of water therein to above the pan sides to thus expose a moistened vapor pad to a current of air thereabout, said vapor pad means comprising a skeleton of readily bendable, conformable wire mesh material, and wick material mounted on said wire mesh skeleton and conformable therewith, said pad means being bent into zigzag shape including a plurality of flat legs connected to each other by curved portions, the bottom leg being flat and in a plane at right angles to a perpendicular through the legs thereabove, the flat bottom surface of said bottom leg resting on the inside bottom of said pan and supporting the major portion of said pad means above the water level.

2. The humidifier of claim 1, and means for replenisl ing and maintaining the level of Water in said water containing pan.

3. The humidifier of claim 1, and an outwardly extending humidifier supporting flange secured to and extending from one end of said pan for securement to a wall of a furnace or air duct.

4. The humidifier of claim 1, said wick material being woven into said readily bendable, conformable skeleton.

5. The humidifier of claim 1, and a second pan, inverted over and having its edges supported on the edges of said water pan, said inverted pan having air current openings in its sides and top, and air current deflector wings extending from some of the edges of said openings.

6. The humidifier of claim 5, said deflector wings extending integrally from the material of said inverted pan.

7. The humidifier of claim 5, said deflector wings being hingedly pivoted to said inverted pan adjacent said openings, and set screw means for securing said hinged wings in desired, adjusted position.

8. The humidifier of claim 5, said upper and lower pans being mounted together in an S joint, and set screw securing means through said pans and said S joint.

9. A furnace air humidifier comprising a water pan, open at its top, adapted to contain 'Water therein, and a bendable, conformable vapor pad means resting on the inside bottom of said pan and extending above the level of water therein to above the pan sides to thus expose a moistened vapor pad to a current of air thereabout, said vapor pad means comprising a skeleton of readily bendable, conformable material, and wick material mounted on said skeleton and conformable therewith, said vapor pad means comprising a plurality of L-shaped pads having their short legs resting on the inside bottom of the pan and exposing the major portion of their long legs above the Water level, together with L braces on some L pads extending over the short L legs of adjacent L pads.

10. A furnace air humidifier comprising a water pan, open at its top, adapted to contain water therein, and a bendable, conformable vapor pad means resting on the inside bottom of said pan and extending above the level of water therein to above the pan sides to thus expose a moistened vapor pad to a current of air thereabout, said vapor pad means comprising a skeleton of readily bendable, conformable material, and wick material mounted on said skeleton and conformable therewith, said vapor pad means comprising a pair of U-shaped pads lying spaced apart on one of their side legs on the inside bottom of the pan with part of the bight and the other leg exposed to air currents.

11. The humidifier of claim 10, said bight curving smoothly into said exposed leg.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 887,017 5/ 1908 Puddington 261-104 1,369,775 3/ 1921 Bliss 261-104 1,604,779 10/ 1926 McDermet 26 l-107 1,918,531 7/1933 Gentry 26l-104 X 1,961,711 6/1934 Rosenow 261-l04 2,085,390 6/1937 Quinlivan 261-104 2,188,708 1/1940 Davis 261-104 X 2,242,594 5/ 1941 Peterson 261-104 X 2,271,829 2/1942 Powers 261-107 2,562,589 7/1951 Uttz 261-99 2,967,050 l/1961 Geen.

3,021,831 2/1962 Byrge. 3,045,450 7/1962 Chandler 26199 3,227,064 1/ 1966 Spangle 2 61-99 X HARRY B. THORNTON, Primary Examiner.

TIM R. MILES, Assistant Examiner. 

